


Donning Utopia

by watersfall



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Fantasy, Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Original work - Freeform, Other, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Utopia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:54:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22035865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/watersfall/pseuds/watersfall
Summary: Remembering nothing but who he is, Daemon Antell finds himself in an odd, fantastical “dream” world. While exploring, he and others (whom are also trapped) slowly realize that the danger around them increases the longer they stay. Their mission is to find a way out- and fast.





	1. Rules of Waking Up Somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> Note that this story is completely original. You will find no fandom content here! This is all a concept I came up with on my own. Please do not compare this work to anything else.

The last thing I remembered was the feeling of falling. 

All I see around me is pure darkness, but I know I’m falling. I can feel the air rushing past me, and my hair in my face. It feels like my eyes are closed, yet I know they’re not. The sting of the wind is a sure sign of that. 

Falling really isn’t a comfortable feeling. Should I scream for help? No, of course not. What good would that do? There’s definitely nobody else here, plus, the blood and wind rushing in my ears is too loud to even hear my _own_ voice. 

Suddenly, I feel myself falling faster, hear the air quieting, and seeing the darkness fade into a multitude of colors flashing by. Confused, I decide to shout the first thing that comes to mind. 

“HELLO?” I yell, and I’m suddenly blinded by light filtering through the trees. Wait a minute.. there weren’t any trees before. I look around, taking in my surroundings. Giant oak trees line the edge of the clearing I’m in, and a small river is visible a few feet away. 

First rule of waking up somewhere you don’t recognize: don’t eat, drink, or touch anything you’re not familiar with. 

Quietly getting up, I look around and listen for any signs of life, or possibly even death. Something to tell me anything about where I am, and how I got here. There was nothing to find, and all I heard was the chirping of birds, the shuffle of leaves, and the sloshing of the river. No signs of any people.

Second rule: make sure you’re safe, or alone without any signs of danger. 

Since I found nothing, I decide to explore and see if there’s anything farther away. It’s possible that there’s just no one in my area. Looking down at my feet cautiously, I notice I’m wearing combat boots. Why _combat boots_ of all things? They’re absolutely no good for sneaking about.

“Stop fooling around!” A sudden yell sounded, scaring some birds into flight; not too close, but close enough for me to hear the conversation. It sounded like a guy’s voice. I hide behind a thick oak, grabbing a branch just in case. 

“Look, it’s almost autumn, we need to stock up on as much food as possible, you dodo.” The guy said, seemingly scolding another person. 

“But I’m hungry!” A younger, desperate sounding boy whined. 

“I’m sorry, but we have to wait. We don’t have much time.” The first guy said, voice softer than before. I could tell they were very close now.  
I don’t know what my motive was, but I swung out from behind the tree and pointed the rather sharp branch at the two strange males. They both held up their arms in surprise. 

“Woah, hey, calm down. We mean no harm.” The older guy stated, standing in front of (who I assume is) his younger brother. 

“Who are you?” I question, narrowing my eyes. I didn’t want to suddenly trust them without insight on who they were. 

“My name is Cas, and this is my little brother, Azariel.” Cas introduced calmly. I observe the two carefully. Cas is a little bit taller than me, with wavy brown hair and a semi-formal looking outfit. Azariel was short and had messy brown hair, wearing a sweater. I lower the branch. 

“I’m Daemon. Mind explaining where we are? ‘Cause I have no clue.” I reply, moving some of my hair out of the way. I don’t remember it being this long and annoying.  
Cas looked down at Azariel, who just shrugged. The older brother looked back up at me and came a little closer. “If I’m being honest, I have no idea where we are or why we’re here. All Azariel and I remember is darkness, and then we were here.” Cas explained, seeming rather calm. Azariel nodded. He seemed really shy and quiet.

“It’s strange.. that’s all I remember, too. Well, besides my name, friends, and basic knowledge of myself.” I explain, confused. The same thing happened to these two strangers, so how many others were affected? 

Cas suddenly looked conflicted. “Wait, hold up- you too?” He looked down at nothing in particular, thinking (at least, I think he was). 

“If it happened to us, there are probably others, too.” Azariel suddenly spoke up, voice quiet but audible. 

I nod, looking to Cas. “If possible, we should try to find others and figure out what’s going on.” I suggest. “First, though, I need to bathe. I’m probably all gross after stalking around and all that.” At this, Cas chuckled, and Azariel cracked a smile. One point for me. 

Cas waved his hand, starting to move forward. “We’ll lead you to our camp. It’s not much, but it’s cozy.” He said as he continued in their original direction. I followed after the two brothers carefully, as I still don’t trust them completely. 

Rule three: don’t trust anyone you don’t already know. They could potentially harm you, and that’s not ideal to your survival. 

✦❂❂❂❂✦

After a small ten minute walk, we arrived at another clearing that was a bit larger than the one I fell in. The sound of a lake’s waves on it’s bank could be heard, which was rather nice. To the side was a gathering of bushes, and in the center of the clearing was a firepit and two seats of moss. They were right- it was quite cozy. 

“Hey, Daemon, you haven’t seen everything yet.” Cas jokes, snapping me out of my thoughts. Guess I spaced out while looking around.. Oops. 

“Really? It seems like you’re all set with just this out here.” I reply, half serious and half amused. Azariel rolled his eyes, but I could see the little smile on his face. Another point scored.

Cas grinned at either my joke, or my naivety. “Come on, I’ll show you.” He said, walking to the mass of bushes. Confused, I follow behind the two brothers.  
Behind the bushes was a small, worn down wooden trapdoor. Cas lifted it, climbing down a ladder that looked relatively new. Now this is a surprise. Azariel followed down after, and I guess that was my que to climb down as well. 

Jumping down the last step of the ladder, I turned around to a rectangular shaped room with a row of bunk beds on the left side, and a small “kitchen” space on the right. There was counter space and some cabinets, as well as a sink, but that was about all there. Midway between the two, there was a large indentation in the wall resembling a bookcase. 

“Jesus, did you guys _make_ this?” I blurt unconsciously. 

Cas snorts, shaking his head. “No, this is the clearing where we fell. While exploring, we found this. I think someone else made it.” He explained. Azariel nodded in agreement.

“Ah.” That made a lot more sense. Not to be rude or anything, but.. These two didn’t seem the type to make something like this. “So you guys live in this?” I ask; this really was baffling.

Azariel nods. “It is rather nice, and there are plenty of resources around the area, so we couldn’t just pass it up.”

Wow, this kid was smart. He’s, what, sixteen? Seventeen? I’ve never in my life met someone, other than myself, who was this mature at that age. It almost seems.. Unreal.  
Cas began to take the things he’d collected and washed them in the sink, carefully drying them off with a piece of one of the extra blankets from the beds. He sorted them out and placed them on the bookshelf carefully. “Okay, we need to eat tonight, so Daemon, do you mind figuring out something for meat?” Cas suddenly spoke up, “We have a lake, but no fishing poles, so that might be out of reach.” 

I thought to myself for a moment. All of a sudden, I remember the sharp branch I kept. “I could try and catch some fish with this. It might just be sharp enough.” I suggest, holding it up. 

Cas shrugged. “It’s worth a try. Let me know how it works out.” He smiled, laughing to himself. “The lake is just two minutes of a walk straight to the left of here. You should be able to find it.” He instructed carefully. 

A small nod was my response. “I’ll be back with fish, Sir.” I saluted jokingly, getting a laugh from Cas. That’s four points for me. 

I make my way back up the ladder, closing the trapdoor as I climb out. Starting the walk to the lake, I hum quietly to myself, a tune I don’t necessarily remember. That’s going to get annoying. 

I arrive at the lake, deciding to take off my shoes and socks before wading in. The only problem with skinny jeans.. Is that I can’t roll them up. So those are getting wet. Perfect.  
Wading out into the lake was the easy part. Since the sun was just about to set, it was hard to see through the water, as well as through the sand I’d accidentally kicked up. I patiently waited for the sand to settle and for fish to gather again. All I saw so far were little fish, like minnows and such, but that wouldn’t really work. 

Something brushed against my leg, scaring me slightly, but I made sure I didn’t jump. It swam between my legs, and I plunged my makeshift spear into the water. I quickly pulled it up, and there was the fish. It was a decently sized trout. 

And Cas said that it might’ve been out of reach.


	2. We're Off To See The Danger!

By the ladder, I could hazily see light filtering down from outside. I sat up to stretch and yawn, swinging my feet to the side of the bed. Yet, for some reason, my vision was still blurry. I go to rub my eyes, thinking maybe it was just from sleep, yet my vision didn’t get any better. 

Sighing, I get up, stumbling a bit due to the lack of sight. I stretch to the top bunk, grab my hoodie, and reached into the pocket to retrieve my glasses. I unfold them and place them on my nose carefully, grumbling quietly to myself. 

Cas then suddenly steps down the ladder and turns toward me. I see him do a double-take when he spots me. “Wow, I didn’t know you wore glasses.” He commented.

I groan in response. “Normally I wear my contacts, but I guess they didn’t transfer to here properly.” Shrugging, I make my way to the ladder. Cas followed suit.

Waiting for us was none other than Azariel. He was packing up anything important in a few backpacks, including food, blankets, and other things I wasn’t sure of. He looked up as I returned from below. “Morning, sleepyhead. It’s just about noon.” He greeted with a grin. 

“Look, I never sleep back at home, so therefore I don’t here either.” I roll my eyes, tying my hoodie around my waist. “So where are we going?” I ask.  
Picking up a bag, Cas turned to me. “We’re going to explore north- it’s the only direction we haven’t explored, and every other area is either empty or.. Gone.” He said. It was hard to distinguish the emotion in his voice. 

Nodding, I take the other bag Azariel had packed. “Well, when will we be ready? Anything is better than sitting around and doing nothing to get home.” I stretch again, trying to urge the sleep out of my bones. 

Azariel chuckles at my eagerness. “Well, I suppose we’re ready now.” Cas looked down at him with a small smile, a bright, yet soft look in his eye. I recognize that look.. But from where, I’m not sure I know. 

“Well, let’s go then.” I say, masking whatever emotion I was feeling with a smile. Being strong is what these two need from me- I don’t know them, but I know that they need the support from someone who knows what that support should be. 

At that, we set off, and walk north by the side of a stream nearby. Conversation didn’t happen often, until we definitely knew where we were going. We stayed quiet up to the point where the stream grew wider and split. 

“Hey, Daemon?” I heard Cas speak up, and I turned to find him already looking at me. 

“Yeah, what’s up?” I respond quietly. 

He stayed quiet a moment, looking back forward. “Why do you wear contacts when you need glasses?” He asked. 

The question surprised me, and I took a moment to think up the right words. “Well.. it’s hard to explain without it coming out the wrong way.” I chuckle to myself. “It’s kind of like.. Like your hair after a while of letting it grow. You don’t really like it, because it doesn’t look the same to you. It just.. doesn’t feel right, you know?” 

Cas looked back over to me, looking serious for a moment. After a few seconds, he turned away with a smile. “I think I understand.” He finally said. “I think you look fine with your glasses, though. Plus, I like your brown eyes better.” 

Azariel stepped between us, clearing his throat. “Alright, before you guys get too comfortable, can you look ahead of us?” He pointed out. 

Stopping, we all pay attention to the area Azariel pointed to. Ahead of us about fifteen feet was a duo of people, but they didn’t really seem friendly. I grabbed the two and pulled them behind a nearby tree. 

“Stay here, I’ll climb to get a better look.” I whisper, jumping up and grabbing a branch. I successfully get up the tree and look to the oncoming group. 

“These patrols are stupid,” One of them says as they get closer, “We haven’t seen anyone at all.”

“Just shut up and do your job, Gabe.” The second said, obviously annoyed. 

“Still, I’m not sure Boss knows what she’s talking about..” Gabe grumbled. “You’re her right hand, do you know anything, Grace?” 

“No, now shut up, and keep walking. I was given permission from Boss to slit your throat if need be.” Grace hissed, and they faded from sight and earshot. 

I slid down the tree to meet the other two. “Gang, looks like we have a mystery on our hands.” I say with more pride than I should’ve.

At least it got a snort out of Cas. “Okay, whatever, but we need to be careful here on out. Things might get ugly.” He suggested. 

Azariel nodded. “Sounds like a plan. If we move past the stream, we should probably be alright. From the sounds of it, those guards had been walking for a while.” Like I said, smart kid. 

Wrapping up our talk, we move away from the water and more into the forest. I can’t even hear the stream anymore. That’s a good sign… I hope. 

✦❂❂❂❂✦

Walking is surprisingly inefficient and tiring. I really wish we had some sort of vehicle, because this is taking forever. Though, besides myself, I could tell that the others were growing tired as well. “Guys, I think we should stop soon. The sun’s setting, and we’re all exhausted.” I suggest softly. 

Azariel yawns, and Cas nods to me gratefully. If I’m being honest, I’m not used to being a leader, but.. It’s for these two. I can tell they need all the strength they can get. 

We walk for a little while longer until we come across a small clearing surrounded by bushes. It seemed good enough, so we stopped and got to setting up camp. 

“Daemon, do you have something on your mind?” 

This sentence snaps me out of my thoughts, as well as my concentration, and I fall from the tree I was in and landed on my back. “Ow..” I groan, earning an amused but sympathetic look from Azariel. “Ha ha, very funny, but no, I’m fine.” 

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. “You sure? You seem kind of out of it.” Azariel noted, and I could tell from his face that he was worried. 

I sigh, sitting up properly. “Seriously, Azariel, I’m okay. No worries.” Giving him a smile, I try to push past the reluctancy in my stomach. _This is something you face on your own, Daemon,_ I think, _you shouldn’t catch them up in your problems._

I turned back to the tree and started to climb before I had to face his pitied look again. Even still, I could feel his eyes on my back when I jumped up the tree. Honestly, it does hurt to lie to them, but I don’t need to worry them. There’s no point to it. 

The branch below me thumped as I sat down on it. I sighed quietly, trying to mute my thoughts for the time being. It was going to be a long, hard night- I could feel it. Gazing down at my palms, I instinctively grabbed and rubbed my wrist. I don’t remember when that became a habit, and it hurts to even try to. 

I heard Cas call from below. “Hey, you’re on watch, Daemon. Can you handle that?” He asked. 

“Yeah, I gotcha.” I reply, loud enough for him to hear. I see him nod and tend to the fire. Yeah, it’s going to be a long, long night. The sound of nothing but crickets, wind, and creatures were all but comforting to me, especially in the dark. 

..I’m gonna have _so much_ fun.


	3. Ring Any Bells?

I don’t remember how or when I wound up passing out. All I do remember, however, is being awoken- stunned and confused- about three hours before sunrise by the sound of a snapping stick. My reflexes kicked in immediately. I shot up from my relaxed position, staring down the tree to see who- or what- was intruding. To my surprise, my gaze is met straight on by a girl about my age. It’s still dark out, and her eyes are startling; they seemed to glow in the gloom.

She put a finger to her mouth, signaling me to keep quiet. I’m not sure if I should or not, but I decide to not start pandemonium. Puzzled, I quickly (but silently) made my way down the tree while she managed to wake up Cas and Azariel. 

“Five more minutes..” Grumbled Cas as he turned around, opening his eyes slightly to see the stranger. His mind processed this while she woke his brother. Cas then sat up and stared at me, his eyes wide. “Daemon, what-?”

I interrupted him. “I don’t know either, but I have a feeling she isn’t any harm to us.” I whispered, silently hoping I’m right.  
Azariel was awake in no less than a minute. No one said anything at all for a long time. Cas, Azariel and I situated ourselves in a muted, silent circle- until the stranger herself sat down as well. 

“Sorry about the sudden visit,” she spoke softly. “But I saw your campfire and I had to see if you were normal, too. My name is Bellami, Bell for short. I came to warn you.”

“Warn us about what?” I demand, my tone more assertive than I wanted it to be.

Bell shoots me an angry look. “I’m getting to that! Look, there are these guards in this area, and they’re going to keep watch over the forest during the night.” Bell informed quickly, as if a guard could suddenly appear and charge us right that instant.

The three of us- as still as mice- absorbed this information while Bell patiently waited for a response. I slowly collected my thoughts and opened my mouth to speak.. 

..And Azariel beat me to it. “We were aware that there were guards during the day in certain areas. But throughout the whole forest at night is a completely different problem,” he spoke more to himself than anyone else, “we appreciate the information. Thank you.” Azariel then spoke directly to Bellami. 

Cas spoke up next. “Even so, I think it’s only going to get tougher. If there are guards around here, then there must be something they’re protecting, right?” He reasoned. “The closer we get to that something, the more guards there may be.” 

I shake my head, trying to push the thought away. “If that’s the case, we need to move quickly during the day and stay secured during the night.” God, I really hope the future doesn’t have any other nasty surprises for us. Our current situation is stressful enough.

“I have to say, you three do make an exceptional team,” Bellami admitted, her arms crossed. 

Looking over at her, I thought for a moment. “It’s probably best if we stick together. Lord knows how many obstacles there may be, and if we’re going to get past them, we need all the help we can get.” I suggest wholeheartedly. 

The new girl took the suggestion into consideration for what seemed like hours. She was so quiet I thought I might’ve screwed something up. Once she finally decided, I let out a small relieved breath I didn’t know I was holding.

She turned to me and looked me straight in the eye. “I’m in. But only because I want to get the hell out of here alive.” Bellami responded with a wide grin on her face. With that answer, we were set as a group.

“Awesome! Glad to have you on the team, Bellami.” Cas beamed, no doubt still sleepy.

“It is nice to have a girl on the team.” Azariel nodded in agreement, a subtle look of delight on his face. 

Bellami stretches and cracks her knuckles. “You’re in great need of a break from these guys’ faces, I see.” She chuckles playfully, gesturing at Cas and I.

Her words are obnoxious, but her tone means no harm. Cas doesn’t stop smiling, and neither do I. I for one think it’s nice to have somebody with an alleviating sense of humor among us; especially during these sort of moments. 

What Cas said earlier is still troubling me. _It’s only going to get tougher._ I hope his words aren’t true, but hope itself won’t fix all of our problems.

Despite my disconcerting thoughts, I laugh to myself as everyone starts to get along. They begin to talk and joke around. It felt good to be sitting in a circle like this, chatting and snickering like we’re all just four silly kids with nothing to worry about.

Sadly, the fact that we all have to rest if we want to go on with our journey spoiled the mood. “Hey, guys, we should probably relax a bit more so we can get moving in a couple hours.” I say, hoping they’ll agree with me. At this point, I’ve kind of established myself as the leader. There hasn’t been any concrete consultation about it, but it’s been insinuated that I am (or so I think..) And that I’m not sure if anyone else is okay with that.

To my genuine surprise, they all seem to think the same way. Azariel offers to take the next shift and let me sleep. I intend to tell him a quick “Thank you”, as I don’t think I’d be able to stay awake much longer, but my vocal chords are losing a battle against my exhaustion. 

For the rest of the night, we sleep peacefully, almost as if we’ll wake up in the morning and everything will be okay.

✦❂❂❂❂✦

I’ve been through the whole _Waking up and Not Knowing Where the Heck You Are_ thing already. If I had a penny for every time I’ve experienced it, I’d have.. Two pennies. Which, granted, isn’t that much, but it’s weird because this is the second time it’s happened. When I woke up, I was standing in a living room. I’m positioned behind some sofas, where I have a clear view of a T.V. playing _Lord of the Bracelets_. 

Not too far away, there’s a young girl sitting on the couches, looming over… what seems like… me? 

I dare to hope my eyes are playing tricks on me. Unfortunately, they aren’t. The girl is surrounded by popcorn, pillows, and sweets. Simpering, she pokes at other-me’s face (who seems to be asleep at the moment.) At least, I think it’s me. Another me. 

_Bellami?_ I wanted to say, but I couldn’t find my voice. The girl smiling at fake-daemon has nearly the same shade of brown hair Bell does, and they are both peppered with freckles. She even has that small green tinge to her eyes.

But the resemblance to Bellami stops there.

The girl is pale, like me. Her eyes, although owning the green tint that Bell’s do, also have a dark black that Bellami lacks. 

She laughs, and her laugh wraps around me like a soft cotton blanket, the kind that can make me fall asleep in no time. The girl throws the popcorn in her cup, aiming for fake-Daemon’s curly hair.

Fake-Daemon groans and blinks, sluggishly sitting up. “Natali _eeee_ ,” he whines, rubbing his eyes. 

I take in a sharp breath. Natalie? As in, _Natalie Lotus Antell_? My _sister_ , Natalie Lotus Antell? Then everything comes flooding to me all at once. That boy on the couches isn’t a fake version of me. That is- no- _was_ me. That’s Daemon, ten years ago. An entire decade ago. Heck, this was before what happened to mom. Before mom left us.

“ _Daeee_ mon,” Natalie singsongs, still poking young-Daemon’s face. “You fell asleep during the movie, Dae-Dae,” she claims. 

_Dae-Dae_. Natalie used to always laugh and tell me how Dae-Dae rhymes with Nae-Nae. I found it annoying back in the day, but now, what wouldn’t I do for my big sister to call me childish nicknames again?

I watch as little-me grumbles and picks at the popcorn in his fluffy hair. Then a smile suddenly appears on his face, and he jumps up and tosses the popcorn at Natalie. She screams and chuckles. She hops off of the sofas and chases little-Daemon all over the living room.

Everything around me fades away. I feel a tsunami welling up inside my stomach. Staggering forward, I find myself outside, standing in the middle of a wide grassfield. The field was flaked with just a couple thousands of colored triangular flags and flowers encased in bouquet sleeves.

In front of me is Natalie, her brown hair looking almost golden in the sunlight. She wraps her arms around a Daemon that seems a couple years older than he was in the living room. His hair is shaggier and messier, and when I walk closer to glance at their- at _our_ \- faces, young-Daemon’s eyes are gray. I see dark, curtain-like shadows hanging under them.

Natalie gently brushes aside young-Daemon’s curly bangs out of his face. “Mom.. Mom is watching us,” she promised, sounding like she was assuring herself more than her little brother. “Me, Autumn, you…”

It strikes me then that I’m not standing in a grassfield. No ordinary grassfield, anyway. This is a cemetery. I didn’t notice this at first, but everywhere, there are narrow flat grave markers that resemble tiny little black dots from afar. It sickens me, thinking of how many lifeless bodies are laying down below my feet right now. One of them could maybe be my mom.

“Autumn couldn’t come?” I hear young-me inquire quietly. 

Natalie shakes her head sadly. “No, she’s got work, Daemon. Someone’s got to continue what Mom left unfinished, don’t they?”

Young-Daemon didn’t say anything but two hushed words. “A year.”

Natalie lets go of Daemon and gazed at him with confused green-and-black eyes. “What?”

“It’s been a whole year since...” Young-Daemon’s voice trails off. I’m sixteen here, I realize. Mom left before she could witness me turn sixteen. She missed my seventeenth, my eighteenth, my nineteenth, and my twenieth. It won’t be long until she misses my twenty-first, too. Happy fun thoughts. 

Natalie didn’t need to hear the rest of sixteen-year-old Daemon’s sentence. I know she didn’t. She ran her fingers through his messy black hair. “We have each other, _ma belle rosa_. You will always have me, and I will always have you.”

The flowers and flags and dark gray plaques surrounding me fade into nothing. The tsunami in my stomach refuses to go away. As I come back to my senses, I hear muffled sobs emanating from somewhere close to me. 

I see her. I see Natalie- her hair longer and more disheveled than I’ve ever seen it before- bending over, hugging something to her chest. She’s crying under her breath, and she cries the kind of cry you can’t discern until you get a clear sight of her face. Tears stream down her cheeks, and they soak her clothes but she doesn’t seem to care. I scan the room, and I don’t spot any other Daemon here but me. 

I crouch and try to rest my hand on her shoulder, but it travels straight through her body. Even though I don’t feel anything alarming, it stuns me. 

She won’t stop sobbing. I shut my eyes, like it’ll somehow block the sound from my ears. I hate listening to Natalie cry. Listening to her hurt inside. Just a few moments ago I was watching Natalie laugh and smile. Now she’s right next to me, muttering to herself through her hiccups and sobs. 

“Natalie?” says a voice.

I whip my head around to see who spoke. Standing in the doorway, appearing distressed and concerned, was a young woman with long, black hair and bouncy curls. Her eyes are as green as the Atlantic Ocean. Autumn Simone Antell stares at Natalie’s hunched figure with wide eyes. 

I quickly get to my feet and back away, almost forgetting that no one can see me. For a split-second, Natalie stops her tears. Autumn rushes to her side and whispers some words I can’t hear her say. 

I manage to catch small phrases like, “Daemon is okay. It’s going to be okay. Keep your head up. _Sœur_ , It’s all going to be okay.”

_We have each other, Natalie,_ I can’t say the words, but some part of me believes she can understand my thoughts. _You will always have me, and I will always have you._

Natalie gestures for Autumn to go away; a gesture that I haven’t seen since we were all little kids. Autumn takes a deep breath and before she leaves the room, she looks at me dead in the eye.

“Wake up,” she barks.

Then everything goes black.


	4. Mortal Peril Called, He Wants a Date With Us

“For the umpteenth time, Daemon, wake up!”

I sit up so swiftly I almost fall off my tree. I feel my scruffy hair pasted onto my scalp with sweat. I gaze around, and everything starts to ache once I notice the large oak trees surrounding me. So I hadn’t woken up earlier. It was all in my head. There go my two pennies.

I rub the sleep from my eyes as I squint at Azariel standing underneath me. “Good morning,” I greet sleepily. 

Azariel huffs and creases his brow, which is the most adjacent I believe he’ll ever get to being relatively angry. “Daemon! I’ve been calling out to you for approximately 13 minutes and 34 seconds now. 35, 36, 37, 38–”

“Yeah, yeah, okay, I get it,” I interrupt, rising to my feet. Gently, I make my way down the tree. 

Those visions that had my two older sisters in them. I know I was still unconscious at the time, so were they solely dreams? No, surely they were flashbacks. I remember what happened in the living room, and I remember the cemetery. But that last one.

Natalie crying like that? I've never regarded those sorts of cries after Mom died.

I shudder, recalling how Autumn stared directly at me as if she could see me. I’m positive my mind only made that up. How could that have resulted in the past? Of course, under the assumption that occurred before I found myself in this forest. If that's not the case, then–

Azariel leans in at once and adjusts my glasses (which I forgot I was even wearing), and he smirks without humor. The sudden action jolts me away from my thoughts.  
I open my mouth to say something, but he answers my question before I can even ask it.

“Your glasses were crooked,” Azariel claims, a sideways smile on his face. “Emphasis on the were.”

I blink a couple times out of confusion, processing what Azariel had just done. Why? Why did he fix my glasses? What purpose did he have? Was it simply because he wanted to? Was it because he noticed it and he was uncomfortable with how crooked they were? Why-?

Before I could think about this any further, I notice Cas and Bellami have already started packing up the camp so we could get moving. Oh. I was the last to wake up, then.   
I decide to get up and help with what was left to pack. Once we finished, we put out the little embers that still glowed in the fire, and we were on our way. We were all reserved for quite some time while we walked. It was about an hour and a half before someone spoke.

“So, Bellami, how long have you been out here? Have you been alone this whole time?” Azariel inquires, appearing genuinely curious. 

Bellami is placid at first, but she ends up answering his question softly. “It’s been about three weeks on my own. The moment I saw your fire, I saw it as a beacon of hope.” She speaks silently, a solemn tone in her voice. “I know I wouldn’t have been able to survive on my own. That’s why it was my goal to find people. Even if they weren’t friendly.” 

We all remain withdrawn, allowing Bellami's words to sink in. Her words are deep – I know they're honest words, too. Being alone is a tough thing to go through.  
“Well, now you have us!” Cas chirps and smiles at Bellami, his hazel eyes bright with excitement. “We’ll get through this, I promise.” His tone softens with his final words.

I grin to myself, looking ahead at the canopies and the light that sifts through them. Normally, I would have groaned at the brightness of the sun, walked away, locked myself in my room, and started to listen to music. But I don't have a reason to walk away, a room to lock myself in, or music to listen to. I have these three, and right now, that's all that matters.

“What about you, Daemon?” Bellami asks, looking anxious to steer the attention away from her. “How long have you been here?”

“Oh, er…” I murmur to myself. I stare at the ground below me. “Two – no – three days? Long enough.”

“I…” Bell’s eyes widened, gaping at something in front of us. “Veer right!”

I inhale sharply and my eyes dart around the forest, but I don’t see anything amiss. Cas, however, seems to understand what was going on. 

He quickly pulls his brother behind a large oak and Bell gestures for us to do the same. We all duck behind the tree, hidden from plain sight as two figures start heading towards our area, circling around where we had just been. Although they didn’t appear to be any source of danger, I still stood cautiously. The two seemed to be traveling together, perhaps friends or something else? Either way, they seemed frantic, talking anxiously.

“Should we go up to them?” Cas mouths. “They don’t appear to be any sort of danger.”

Bell glances at them and shrugs.

“I think it will be fine, just follow my lead,” Bell whispers, creeping away from their hiding area. Reluctantly, we slowly follow and approach the two.

“Hel-”

“Don’t hurt us! We aren’t a threat, please-” the girl shrieks, taking a few steps back.

Immediately, they stood defensively, holding out their hands in surrender, or out to attack. Whichever one could work, and both scared me equally as much. I couldn’t find the words to say anything to them.

Calmly, Cas tries to assure them that we weren’t going to impale them. “We aren’t going to hurt you; sorry for the scare. We saw you pass by and we didn’t know who you were… obviously.”

From those mere words, they relax their stances, but their body language still looked tense.

“Alright, who are you? What makes you say we can trust you?” The girl demands, eyeing not only Cas but all of us, with suspicion.

Bell spoke up, talking smoothly as to not panic them further. “We’re just some travelers, trying to survive here just like you. Now, who are you?”

“Travelers, just like you four. I’m Amelia, the other one is Jade,” she explains, motioning towards the boy who hadn’t spoken a single word during our exchange. “We’re… terrified out here. It’s been dangerous, and it gets harder every day to survive. I’m not sure how long it’s been, probably more than a few weeks, I suppose.”

I’m surprised we convinced them to say any more. They both appear to be quite scruffy; not in the best condition, but not dying.

“Why not join us? We might not have much, but at least you’ll have our company.” I offer, feeling bad for them.

“We can’t. We don’t want to get hurt or die out here. You should go without us,” Jade replies, shaking his head.

“I’ll have to agree with him, we can’t go. I’m sorry, good luck on your trip anyways,” she concludes, gripping my shoulder slightly before saying their goodbyes and wandering off into another direction, Jade following her shortly afterward. Whatever they had to deal with, it seemed rough. We were in for a real one, I guess.

Cas starts, “That was weird, shall we continue-”

Instantly, guards appear and move closer to us. Wonderful. We hide again, behind the same oak, and I groan for our gracious luck. This time, we won’t jump out at our new-found visitors. We wait for the guards to turn so that we can quickly escape away from there. As soon as they did, we bolted away, stealthily leaving without causing trouble. 

✦❂❂❂❂✦

After hours and hours of going through this endless forest, we were exhausted from walking. We sat down in a safe location, for now, to take a break and set up camp. Avoiding the guards seemed harder than I imagined; we needed something to fend ourselves off with. I stood up, stretched for a moment, and proposed an idea.

“Look, we need to defend each other. We can’t keep running away from the issue. Soon enough, the guards will come to us. I suggest we get some weapons; find, or create some,” I declare.

Bell nods. “I agree. A weapon would be a good idea.”

Cas and Azariel agree as well, making it our next mission.

“It’s settled then. Tomorrow we’ll get weapons.” And today, I was going to have a nice rest.

Bellami and Azariel began setting up camp as I talked with Cas. Our conversation was general, some small talk while the two worked. 

“Today was tiring. I wish we didn’t have to meet so many people,” I sigh.

Cas laughs. “It was wild, I’ll have to admit. At least, in the end, we’re all in one piece.”

That pleasantly lightened up the mood. I didn’t feel like worrying about tomorrow. For all I know, North could take us anywhere. Being aware was important, and his words made me focus on that now. I smiled back at him, glancing at Bellami and Azariel, as they had started forming a bond as well. They were laughing at a joke I couldn’t quite hear, and could never share. It didn’t matter much though; all was well right now, and that’s all we need. All _I_ need.


	5. Remember That One Person

I don't usually have a problem with dreams when it comes to sleep. I don't get nightmares often, and when I do wind up in my innermost imagination, I commonly forget most of it when I wake up in the morning. 

Here, in this never-ending forest, however?

Ha, ha. Here, in this never-ending forest, everything is vast fun throughout the night until I begin to dream.

Bell and Az manage to assemble our (once again) temporary campsite before twilight. It's bivouac-like and rudimentary, yet enough to make my muscles ease and drive me to flop down immediately on my designated resting place for the night. The comfort is amusing while it lasts.

When I fall asleep, at first, nothing happens. All is black, along with the occasional phosphene. Suddenly blotches of blurs and hazy colors begin to dance before my eyes. I begin to hear several unintelligible sounds all over. 

"You look lonely," a young voice says. 

I stare at the child who spoke. He has the exact same features I used to have in Kindergarten. Tufts of wavy black hair fall over the sides of the kid's head. Standing, he's not much taller than three feet. 

Next to him, a girl is sitting with her back against a wall, hugging her knees. She seems understandably uncomfortable in her pink and purple ruffled sundress. The kid looks up, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. 

Her ash rust-colored hair only scarcely touches her shoulders, and it curves in up at the tips.

"Thanks. You do, too."

The boy smiles genially and sits down next to her. "We can be lonely together! Wanna be friends? My name is Daemon. What about you?"

If I could have facepalmed, I would have. I have forgotten how verbose and chipper I was as a petite Kindergartener.

"My name..." She ponders this warily. "My name is Alphia. Alphia means excellent and most important," she adds. Although her expression stays flat, her tone has a trace of pride.

Kindergartener-Daemon gives her an ample grin. "Yay! I've got a friend! Alphia… you're my best friend." 

_You're my best friend._

The words buzz in my ears. I had told this Alphia girl that she was my best friend all the way back in Kindergarten… We were – are – friends. Nevertheless, why do I not remember much about her?

The scene pales and evaporates. Loud and definite chattering turns into distant and dim murmuring.

A shadowy outline emerges right before my eyes. I focus a bit stronger and realize the figure standing before me is a hooded person. A dark-gray cloak is draped over their body, and their back is turned on me. 

Suddenly the figure lowers their head. They take a deep breath, and I see their body under the gray cloak shiver slightly, although the air around us is warm. "Daemon." I nearly stop breathing at the mention of my name. "I want to see you again. I _must_ see you again."

"Continue traveling," the person orders, speaking with an effeminate voice. It's a woman. Her voice is still, but persuasive and brisk. The tone she has is strikingly familiar. It makes me want to focus on her and just her. I feel paralyzed by the words she utters. "You and your friends must abide by impelling northwest. It's the only way."

_The only way to what?_ I want to ask. But like what happened before with Natalie, I can't speak, even if I try my best to. And something else… there is something that tells me I shouldn't question anything. I should trust what this person is saying for me to do.

_My name is Alphia. I must see you again. Continue traveling._

✦❂❂❂❂✦

Those phrases seem to want to stick with me for the rest of the day. I just can't even get close to taking them off of my mind. Cas jars my right shoulder until I stir. Mumbling unhappily, I roll over to one side. Cas is on his knees, his dignified mellow eyes fixed on me.

"I can wake up by myself," I tell him, rubbing my eyes. 

Cas chuckles and shakes his head. "Apparently not. You sure your name is Daemon and not Sleeping Beauty?"

"What do you–" I stop myself. Bellami and Azariel's makeshift beds (if that's even the word for them) are empty. Certainty stabs me in the gut: I'm the last to wake up. Again. 

Sighing, I make a mental note to add _Oversleeping due to stress-inducing fantasies_ to my newfound list of Reasons Why I Now Hate Dreams. 

"Bell and Azariel went to go stock up on firewood," Cas mentions, grinning. "Those two are really getting along. How about you and I, eh? Wanna go grab some fishies?"

His ridiculous remark almost eases my mind. "Fishies," I repeat, dumbfounded. "You sure you're an adult and not a first grader?"

Cas grows stiff. He narrows his eyes to slits at me. _Uh, oh_. Another thing to take note of: Cas can be intimidating when he wants to. Then he arches over, hugging his stomach, exploding with hilarity. When he finally finds his breath, he speaks through fits of laughter. "Touche, Daemon."

He jumps up at once and rolls his neck, grinning with wild eyes as if he just had ten cups of coffee. "So, we getting some fishies or not?"

Yawning and stretching, I gently get to my feet. "Mhm," I mumble, making sure I still had my glasses on. "Two crazies named Cas and Daemon set off on a quest that will save hundreds: Ten-thousand fishies before sundown."

✦❂❂❂❂✦

It doesn't take long for us to find the river.

Cas and I don't walk too far away from our primitive camp, and it seems like it took us nearly a minute to encounter the river over by the bright green oaks. Surprisingly, I appreciate the vivid colors of the forest. The forest is unnatural, but not to the point I would question it. I don't remember camping very often when I was younger, but the light shifting through the canopies of the trees reminds me of all the trips I've been on with my mom and sisters. Those trips remind me of my dreams of Natalie and Autumn. That doesn't help me calm down thundering thoughts, because it ends up evoking me of Alphia.

This leads to another bullet point being jotted down on my mental list of Reasons Why I Now Hate Dreams: _Negatively affecting my stream of consciousness._

Even the brilliant colors of the giant oaks enveloping us don't aid in driving me away from my thoughts. The sun gleams through the petals and branches of the trees, but when I look up, I see no sun. It must be covered by all those leaves. 

"Where do you think that river leads to?" I ask Cas, just to try and get my mind off things. I gesture toward the river and point out how it looks like it may correlate with the lake near his initial base.

I catch a wistful sparkle in Cas' eyes, but he dismissively waves off the possibility. 

Instead, he says, "What if we just follow the river's path? That way, we'll all be led right back to our homes."

I begin to wonder if he meant the base he used to share with his brother, Azariel. Then it dawns on me that he meant the places we all the places we were living in before we fell into this forest.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquire curiously. "A river that can lead us back to where we lived before all _this_?" 

Cas inclines his head at me. "Y'know. Like, in The Good Dinosaur, or something like that. All the dino had to do to get back home is follow the river. Just brings him there, I guess."

"If only it were that simple." I don't tell him that the dinosaur in the movie went through countless hardships and disasters, even with the river by his side.

"Speaking of traveling," I start uneasily, fidgeting with my uneven hoodie strings, "I sort of had this dream. I mean, everybody has fantasies, except this dream was just… It really miffs me. You following? It was just so…"

"Enigmatic?" Cas supplies politely, paying attention to my every word.

"Yes! Exactly that."

I describe the contents of my dream to him. Not only that, but also all my worries, thoughts, and speculations flood out from my mouth as well. 

"Wait, hold on a sec," Cas hinders me abruptly, making a time-out sign using his fingers. The polite tone he had earlier is gone. "So you're saying you want us to do what this Alphia woman told you we should do? And that… she said all this dream?"

I suddenly feel offended. 

My following words sound defensive, and I don't understand why. "I'm just strongly suggesting it. It's not like I'm going to force you into agreeing with me or anything." 

But the strange thing is: I do feel as if I would do anything to meet Alphia's expectations.

"But you don't even know if that hooded girl is the same Alphia you met in Kindergarten or not," Cas protests. "Besides, this all happened in a dream."

He pauses for a moment like he wants this information to sink in for me properly. I find that his once-kind tone is replaced with a more stern one. "Please tell me you're not serious about this."

"No, no," I hope I sound more confident than I feel. "That's Alphia. She'll help us, I swear. We need to try finding her. She said continuing north is the only way we could. And we're already traveling north, anyway."

I still can't comprehend why I feel so vehemently about Alphia. My memory of her is little to nothing. And nonetheless, that makes me want to find her even more.  
Cas finally gives in. He's hesitant, but he doesn't look like he wants to agitate me further. "Okay, okay. Alright, I trust you. I get what you're saying. Let's see if Alphia can earn that same trust."

I turn back to the river haughtily. "We came here to fish. So let's get fishing."

✦❂❂❂❂✦

After a good hour and a half, Cas and I come back to camp to see Azariel and Bellami blissfully bonding around a decently made campfire.

We caught fish after Cas managed to find a dead limb that had fallen out from one of the many nearby oaks. We used the branch, altered it so that it had a pointed tip, and stabbed roaming fishies with it. By the time we were finished, we had a count of 8 fish – killed, and ready to cook. 

Bellami and Azariel are both covered from head-to-toe with dust and ashes from the fire, but they don't seem to care about it. Their foreheads are beaded with sweat, and Azariel's hair looks nearly unkept. The image alone fazes me.

"This little guy is good," Bellami says, smiling and nudging at Azariel next to her with her elbow. He didn't seem to like being called a _little guy_ , but he smirks affectionately. "Got a fire going in less than an hour! Can you believe that?"

"Bell helped a lot, too," Azariel points out kindly. "She found practically all of the firewood. All the ones that were fit for a fire, anyway. The wood I found was no good at all. She's so cool."

"Well, okay, but you're cool _er_."

Cas rolls his eyes at them. 

"I'd hate to interrupt your appreciation session, but Daemon and I have got news," He breaks in, knowing that if he doesn’t, we would be watching Bell and Azariel exchange compliments for centuries. 

Bell grabs a fish from my hands and jabs through it with a stick. She passes it to Azariel, who delightedly holds it over the fire. "News. Good or bad?"

"I prefer the former," Azariel says.

"That's for you two to decide," Cas answers, but his eyebrows are arched at me. He fills both of them in as the two gracefully fill themselves up with nicely cooked fish.

Once Cas is done explaining everything about Alphia and me, Azariel studies me tentatively. "Are you thoroughly certain this should be our next course of action? I understand you want to proceed traveling north. But still, we would be spending more valuable time, attempting to look for a person you barely remember…"

Don't you hate it when the smart one in the group makes a good point against you? Just one comment from Azariel, and suddenly it feels like the whole world is tackling me.

Thankfully, I have Bellami to back me up.

"Az brings up a fair argument," she admits, "but personally, I would like to have this Alphia on board with us. The more, the merrier, is it not? Daemon says she can help us. Heck, I’d love some help right now. Also, no offense to you lovely dudes, but I'd enjoy having a female on the team."

Several minutes of debating pass by, and with my stubborn reasoning combined with Bell's compelling influence, Azariel ends up agreeing with us as a result. Cas, on the other hand, is soundless throughout the entire discussion. His absence of speech disturbs me. Cas isn't like this.

I gulp down my last piece of fish. It suddenly didn’t taste so delicious anymore. "So," I venture awkwardly, feeling as though I should formally address it, "northwest we go?"

I would have ordinarily expected Cas to be the first to respond. However, he isn't talking to any of us – not even Azariel. Despite this, Cas speaks before Az or Bell can open their mouths.

"Northwest we go," He affirms with a nod, his yellowish-green eyes intensifying the way Alphia's used to.


	6. Looks Like It's Time For A Montage!

After a very tense lunch filled with silence and occasional hostile glances from Cas, the four of us pack up camp and begin heading northwest like we agreed to. The tension is three-dimensional. The only sounds that ring in our ears are the trees rustling in the wind.

Azariel insists on retaining the supplies we've managed to get ahold of, but he doesn't seem to be faring well with this decision of his. The poor guy – who's in charge of carrying the firewood – looks like his knees can't take the hike any longer.

Beads of sweat make their way down his forehead. Azariel's movements are sluggish and heavy, as opposed to Bellami, a few paces ahead of him. She is happily striding onward as if the exertion is nothing but a mild nuisance to her. Bell carries the bivouac parts over her shoulder as she hums merrily. 

Sometimes she'll glance behind her, and she creases her brow as if someone's following her. Her odd jitters fit right in with her quirkiness, though. I catch her whistling at the towering trees, glancing up to smile at the light, and laughing for no reason at all. 

Her ease, though delightful to see, unfortunately, isn't contagious.

Cas doesn't seem bothered by the long trek either, but he has a sour look on his face. I'm tempted to go over and talk to him, but the way he studies me as we walk is weirding me out. It's starting to make me feel self-conscious. 

He's usually the one that can't shut his mouth. Cas has always struck me as a notable extrovert. And still, right now, at this moment in time, Cas is as quiet as a mouse.

I wonder how the two of them can be so untroubled by the walk. I'm not doing much better than Azariel. My throat is dry, my legs are sore, and it was almost as if my body refused to cooperate with me.

I'd tell myself, _Go! Go on! We've got to go and find Alphia!_

And myself would reply with, _Haha, nope, I'm going to go ahead and stumble and trip over this overgrown tree root, now._

I yelp as the tip of my foot strikes the root. Suddenly I feel the whole world feeding me dirt for dinner. I cough and gag, and try standing up, but my limbs refuse to assist.

"Whoa there," Bell blurts as she sets down her stuff against a nearby oak. She crouches and holds out her hand. "You okay?"

I grunt, getting to my feet with her help. I dust specks of dirt off of my face. "Yeah, yeah, fine."

Azariel's legs give in. He exhales and sinks next to a tree, firewood scattering around him. Cas shoots me another seething glare before going off to his brother.

"Hey," Bell whispers to me urgently. "What is up with the two of you?"

I hesitate, confused. "What do you mean?"

She angles her head at me, giving me an "Are you kidding?" look. Slowly, it progresses into more of an "Oh my god, no, you're not kidding." grimace.

Bell throws her hands up in exasperation. "Oh, jeez. You and _Cas_! It's like you've been playing Hot Potato with him. But instead of potatoes, you're tossing scary stares at each other!"

" _Scary_ is putting it mildly." I sigh, rubbing my temple. 

Behind us, Az is speaking to Cas in hushed tones. Cas turns his head to glare at me several times before quickly realizing I'm staring back. 

Bell gestures wildly at this, waving her hands crazily. "You see what I mean? Come on, Daemon, tell me what's going on. We're such a tight group. Just about two days of being with you three, but I know that!" 

I want to look away, to avoid eye contact with her. But I can't do that. 

She takes a deep breath. "I don't – I don't want anything to happen to you. To _us_."

The tone of her voice makes me wince. "Um, the whole Alphia thing… I guess it's bothering Cas or something."

Her shoulders slump. "Ah, jeez. Oh, that sucks." Bell scowls at the dirt below her, kicking it with the tip of her boot. 

I will admit I'm not sharing all of my troubles with her. I wouldn't do that – not after what happened after I did that with Cas.

The light sifting through the trees abruptly disappears. I watch as dark gray clouds conceal the daylight, and I set my jaw. We've wasted enough time.

Leaves whisper and float by, littering the ground with definite green. The forest, although brimming with bright colors, has this murky atmosphere to it all of a sudden. Cas stands next to Azariel, eyeing the leaves and dancing treetops. His brother, on the other hand, has his head hung in shadow like he's trying to fall asleep.

"Guys," I begin apprehensively, "staying out here in the open like this is dangerous. It's probably around nighttime now. Let's try going for someplace safer."

Bell inhales sharply. She makes her way to the bivouac parts and lugs them over her shoulder. "Right. Don't want any guards bashing our heads in."

Azariel groans and rubs his face. "Where, exactly, is _someplace safer_?"

I take a deep breath and gaze at the sea of trees stretching out behind them. "Good question. Nonetheless, we should get a move on." 

Cas shifts his stance and shuts his eyes. His posture looks relaxed, but the expression on his face stays bitter. I ponder why he's so disturbed by our notion of finding Alphia. I understand his concern, even share it, but he must be hiding something he hasn't told me.

"Alright, let's…" His voice dawdles off. He opens his eyes, staring at and Bell and I, looking dubious. 

Bell self-consciously pats her cheeks. "What? What, is there something on my face?"

The expression on Cas' face looks slack. He slowly shakes his head.

"Is there something on _Daemon's_ face?"

Politely ignoring her, he takes a step back (Though I think there is something on my face: Dirt) and alarmed, Cas turns to his brother, like he wants to make sure he's not going insane.

Azariel jabs a shaking finger at something behind Bell and I. "Was that…" he ventures weakly, "Was that there before?"

My head spins. I turn my heel to follow Cas and Azariel's gazes, and Bell does the same. As it turns out, there was a rather old and worn building behind us that definitely was not there before. 

The walls were made of worn down grey bricks and were covered in vines. Two tall wooden doors hung limply off the hinges, swung wide open. No one had been there in ages, it seemed. 

"Damn." The word tastes bad in my mouth. It’s all I can manage to say. 

No one utters a single thing after that. I count off the seconds of silence until I get to 10. I decide – as the yet-to-be-crowned leader of the group – to bite.

“Should we go inside?” I ask anxiously. “See if anyone’s in there? Who knows, maybe we’ll meet more Jades and Amelias.”

“You mean people?" Bell chuckles and elbows me. "Yeah, let's see what we're dealing with.” 

Azariel seemed to choke on this prospect of adventure. “Hey, what? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no!” He laughs nervously, his eyes pleading with me. “There is no way on Earth we are going in there. I mean, you said it yourself, we have to go looking for someplace we know for a _fact_ will keep us safe."

Bell shrugs nonchalantly. “No way on Earth?” She repeats. “Is this dump even Earth? Hey, if we’re not on Earth, that doesn’t apply to us.”

“That logic isn’t– What? How does your brain come up with such thoughts?” Azariel objects, shaking his head. 

He gives Cas a look that says: _Help me with these two lunatics!_ Cas replies with an agitated groan and an unenthusiastic thumbs-up aimed at Bell and I. I take this as a _Yeah, sure, let’s go, but at the end of the day, I won’t be cleaning up your bodies._

“Fine,” Azariel amends reluctantly. “We'll check it out, but only for a bit. This is precious time we're wasting.”

“Plus, it’s about to rain,” Bell points out, palms spread up in the air. And she’s right – droplets of water begin to splatter on her hands. “It has a kind-of ceiling. It’ll keep us from the rain and wind. I’d say it’s worth a try.”

With that, we all made our way inside the strange building. The inside looked much better than the outside. Well worn beige-colored wallpaper covered the walls, some coming up at the edges. Nothing was crumbling, though, so that was a relief. No rain came through the roof.

"Think we found our someplace safer. Honestly, it's pretty nice in here." I hum, looking over everything. I turn around only to find a poorly covered switch on the wall. Curious, I step closer to the switch and press it. 

A loud buzzing sound fills the building, startling us all.

"What's going on?" Bellami asks, tapping my shoulder.

Cas whips his head in my direction to glower at me again. "What did you do?"

"I-I don't know, I pressed a switch on the wall!" I panic, backing away from the switch. 

Next to his brother, Azariel's mouth is open with shock. "Guys, look." He gestures toward the back wall.

As it turned out, the switch opened up a hidden armory in the wall. It was racked with swords, daggers, knives, different types of bows, any weapon you could imagine (that isn't a gun, which would be very useful). 

"Holy crap." I gasp, frozen in shock. "This place is loaded."

"Hell, yeah!" Bellami cheers in excitement, running up to the wall of treasured weapons. "There are so many cool bows here! This is amazing!"   
She picks one up carefully and turns around to us. Her sea-green eyes glimmer with joy. "Guys, I think I found my happy place."

I couldn't help but smile; Her excitement became infectious. I walked up to the racks of weapons and scanned them over. One sword stood out to me- a large pastel pink colored sword with a hilt that resembled thorny vines. 

Ma belle rosa. Natalie's nickname rang in my head as I look at the sword. I hold it up hastily. It’s a little heavy, but it feels right in my hands. 

"Looks like somebody found the right weapon." 

I jump, dropping the sword with a loud _CLANG_. I whip around to see Bell standing behind me, a wooden bow and quiver hanging over her shoulder. "What the heck, Bell? You spooked me!"

She shrugs this off with a cocky grin on her face. "Always stay on guard, Dae. First rule of self-defense." Bell laughs and picks the sword up. "That's one heavy boy. Are you gonna be able to handle this kind of sword?"

I gently take it from her hands and looked at it again. "Yeah," I respond with a small smile, "I think I will."

We gave Azariel and Cas a little bit more time to choose their weapons. In about ten minutes, Cas chose a rapier that had a hilt that looked like ice crystals. Azariel still seemed conflicted, so I decided to go and see what was on his mind. 

"Hey, Az. Having trouble?" I ask, studying what he was staring so intensely at. There were well over thirty amulets hanging on the wall in this area. What kind of armory has _necklaces_?

Azariel looked up at me before he turned back to the wall of necklaces. "I'm trying to figure out what these amulets do," He replied. 

I sing lowly to myself, scanning the necklaces again. Each one had a unique gem, the outside rim coated with gold that was carved with weird, foreign letters. One of them had a beautiful bright blue gem in the shape of a heart, and another was a ruby red in the shape of a diamond. 

After thinking for a bit, an idea popped into my head. "Maybe they're magic?" I suggested, turning to Azariel. 

He turned to me with wide eyes. "You might be right." Azariel gives the wall a nod, reaching out for a green emerald amulet that was within his reach. 

As soon as he touched it, it glowed and surrounded his body with a green aura. This was quite surprising, so I let out a very ladylike yelp.

Cas, who was sat in the corner, stood up abruptly and ran over. "What's going on? Why is my brother glowing?" He demands at me, eyes cold as ice. 

"Why do you keep asking _me_? _I_ have no idea what's going on! _I_ don't have any answers!" I retort, panicking once again. 

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. He then walked over to Azariel and asked if he was okay, as he had stopped glowing in the time we threw our brief words. 

My head was still reeling, so I went over to sit by Bellami. I sat against the wall and put my head on my knees. "I don't know why he's being so… hostile."

I could feel Bellami's stare of sympathy. 

"I don't understand either, to be honest. I think you should talk to him about it." She sighs, patting me on the back.

"Considering how he's acting, he doesn't want to talk to me at all."

Bellami scoffs, picking my face up and forcing me to look at her. "I'm only going to say this one more time, got it?" 

I nod, confused.

"You are going to talk to Cas before your situation gets worse. The longer you wait, the worse it will get, and the more likely the team will fall apart. Do you want that for us?"  
I exhale and nodded again. "Alright, I'll talk to him. I don't want the team to fall apart because of me."

She smiled and patted my head. "Attaboy! Now go get your mans." 

I chuckled and shook my head. Bellami was good at motivating me to do things I otherwise wouldn't do.

_I have to confront him. For the team._


	7. The Next Houdini

I didn't end up confronting Cas at all. Sometime during the night, Azariel seemed to have acquired a sort of magnetic field. Cas stuck to his brother everywhere he went. Which, in turn, led to me not being able to talk to him privately. 

It's not like I wanted to, anyways. Confrontation is scary, and had Bell not convinced me to, I wouldn't have even thought of it at all. But, alas, it had to be done.  
Unfortunately for me, I couldn't sleep that night. Even though Bell was on watch, I tossed and turned the entire time. All I could think about was how this confrontation could possibly ruin the team. It would be my fault that we fell apart. 

By the time the sun came up, I hadn't slept at all. Anxiety was not very kind to me. Even sitting up, I couldn't help but worry about the day to come. Once Cas woke up, it would be hell. At least, in my mind, it would be.

I don't want to be distant with Cas, but it's not like I was given a choice. He was distant first, and now he doesn't even talk to me unless he's trying to insult me. It's unfortunate, but if he doesn't want to talk, I can't force him to.

The only thing that manages to cheer me up is the fact that, in the morning, I prove that I am not, in fact, Sleeping Beauty. The smelly rotten egg is Cas, who is the last to wake up when the light begins to seep through the gnarled tree branches. Everyone was surprised to see I was the first to wake up.

"Daemon, you're early for once," Bell teases, elbowing me in the arm.

I rub the area and shrug. "I didn't actually sleep, if that's what you're implying."

Bellami laughs softly and pats me on the shoulder. "I figured. If you had slept, you wouldn't be up by now."

She glances over at Cas and Azariel, who are speaking quietly amongst themselves. "You need to talk to him, Dae. That's what kept you from sleeping, huh?"

"Yeah." I sigh. "It's hard to sleep when I can't think of anything but what will happen when I confront him. What if he doesn't take it well? What if he decides that we aren't worth sticking around, and he takes Az and–"

Bellami slaps me right across the face.

"Shut up," she commands. "Cas wouldn't do that – I mean, we know Azariel wouldn't let him. Both of them know traveling in a group is the best option, and splitting up would mean death for all of us, no matter how capable we are."

The adhesive heaviness I've been feeling for the past hours doesn't leave. It's still there, but a part of it goes away. I feel my shoulders sag and drop some tension of stress.

Bellami's sea-green eyes bore into me with encouragement and affinity. She knows I'm stressed and afraid, and that I need comfort, but she also knows I need a boost of confidence.

I smile warmly and hug her. "Thank you, Bell. I really needed that."

She gives me a small chuckle and hugs me back. "Oh, boy, you're going to hate me for what I'm about to do."

"What?"

"Alright, everyone, gather round!" Bellami pulls away from the hug and stands on a large boulder. "I have a proposition to make."

Teetering on the edge of being more stressed than I was before, I watch as Cas and Azariel walk over to us. Cas glimpses in my direction for less than a second before shifting his attention to Bellami. He's obviously still mad at me, but not as angry as he used to be.

Bellami began to make her speech. "Since we all have weapons now, we have to train with them. Oh, yes, you're all wondering, But Bellami, what does this training entail? Lucky for you, I've got an idea!" 

A big grin takes over her face. "We're going to be sparring in teams! I'll spar with Az, and you two," – she points straight at Cas and I – "will be sparring together. "

I turn to my side and wave weakly at Cas. He narrows his eyes before quickly taking them off of me.

"And this is a _team-building exercise,_ " Bellami adds, raising her eyebrows at us. "Alright, boys, let's have fun!"

She pumps her fist in the air and jumps off the rock to head off to the other side of the clearing.

I catch Azariel give Cas a worried look before he goes off walking to Bellami. 

I summon all the courage I have left remaining and walk up to Cas. I stare at him awkwardly while he's grasping the hilt of his blade. No time like the present, right? I reach for the sword at my side and swallow the lump in my throat. "Hey, Cas–?"

Before I can say anything else but those two feeble words, Cas rushes me with his sword. With a shriek and a _CLANG_ , I raise my sword and block his attack. I’m lucky enough to remember Bell’s words from last night. 

_Always stay on guard, Dae. First rule of self-defense._

I can’t get any words in due to Cas’s quick movements. With my heavy sword, I’m undoubtedly much slower, but I’m still able to keep up. Five minutes into our session, I start trying to speak. 

“Cas, please talk to me,” I say, blocking another one of his strikes. “We can’t just ignore each other forever.” 

His eyes are miles away as his blade almost pierced my side. That’s what really disturbs me. Cas is not afraid to hurt me during this sparring fight.

"I’m sorry about forcing this idea on you.” – his sword clashes on mine – “To find Alphia, I mean–”

As soon as I say her name, I stumble on a rock and trip backward. Cas grabs me by my collar before I can hit the ground. I feel my heart skipping a googolplex beats. His jade-colored eyes are callous and concentrated for a moment, but I see something else in them for a moment. It’s most likely nothing, but it’s there. 

“I don’t want to make this detour,” Cas admits, still holding me by my shirt. “But I understand how much she means to you. So, we’re going to find her.” He lets out a breath like he's been holding it for years. Slowly, he helps me stand up straight. 

I exhale in relief. I didn’t think he’d be so chill about it. “Again, I’m sorry for kinda forcing it on you.”

Cas shrugs, a small smile gracing his previously grumpy face. It’s almost like he’s trying to suppress it. 

“I forgive you. I think. Just… next time, let the whole team decide together, okay?” He suggests, holding his hand out.

Without any hesitation, I shake his hand and smile. “Of course. We’ll all decide together next time, I’ll—”

An abrupt and loud laugh suddenly claws at the air, cutting my sentence off short.

“You should try starting that glowy-thing in the armory again!” Bell exclaims excitedly.

“Huh.” Cas angles his head behind me to look at her. “How much do you want to bet they weren’t even sparring in the first place?”

Over by the gnarled oak trees, Bellami is leaning over Azariel, smiling widely at him and his amulet. Her bow and arrow are set on a boulder nearby. 

“Glowy-thing?” Azariel repeats, turning over the gem on his amulet. “I’m not sure I can do that same _thing_ again, Bell.”

She scoots over and holds the amulet in her hands. “Hey, maybe I can help you learn to use it.”

Azariel blinks as she lets go of the green emerald. “Learn to use the amulet…” He mused. “Well, okay. That would be nice.”

Next to me, Cas grumbles some things under his breath. Now that I think about it, he hasn’t seemed too happy about Bell and Azariel spending this much time together lately.

I pat him on the back. I'm afraid he'll smack me upside my head, but he doesn't. "Um, I'm gonna go see what they're up to. As much as _I_ want you to come with me, _you_ don't look like you want to come with me, and _I_ don't want to force you to come with me, because _you_ don't–"

Cas holds his palm up and smiles. "Say no more. I'll stay on the other side of the clearing. Now shoo."

I beam delightedly and rush to Bell and Azariel, both on the large boulder from before. I set my heavy sword on the grass beneath us and invite myself to their party.

“Say _abracadabra_ to it," Bell suddenly recommends.

Azariel almost falls off the boulder. "What? Why?"

I suppress my laughter. "Hey, you want to learn how to use the amulet. It wouldn't hurt to try."

Bell finger-guns at me, then spreads her palms at Azariel, as if to say: _See? Listen to Daemon, he knows what's up._

Shaking his head in disbelief, Azariel buries his face in his hands. Then he clutches the amulet's green gem. He mutters something quietly that Bell and I can't quite hear.

Bell leans in and cups her hand behind her ear. "What? I couldn't catch that, could you speak a tad louder, Azariel?"

Azariel's ears redden. "Abracadabra," he says to the amulet.

The amulet does not respond.

“Abracadabra, please?”

Nothing happens, and he frowns. Examining the amulet closely, Azariel carefully traces the engravings on the gem. He studies the gem in his hands like it's the most mystifying thing he has ever found.

"Um, Az?" Bellami says, and I turn to see her backing away from Azariel and his amulet. "The amulet…" The words seem to die in her throat.

I turn to look at Azariel, trying to figure out what Bell was talking about. Then I catch my breath. The amulet in Azariel's hands begins to glow a bright, bright green, encasing him in that same aura back in the armory. 

Bell inhales sharply, a joyous expression crossing her face. 

"Az! You did it!" She cheers, eyes bright with excitement.

Azariel continues to focus on the gem, closing his eyes, as if thinking of something to do. The green aura grows bigger- to the point where we can feel it. It was warm and gentle, and it reminded me of…

The air caught in my throat. _Mom_. It reminds me of the warm hugs she used to give me, Natalie, and Autumn. For a moment, I share the excitement with Bellami, and the next, I am overwhelmed with the past grief of my long deceased mother. 

I can’t think of that for long. Promptly, I snap out of the trance as I get elbowed in the side by Bellami. 

"Dae," She hisses urgently, looking at me straight on. Her face had gone from excited to scared in a few minutes. "Look at—"

Before she can finish, the warm and gentle feeling washes away and is replaced by something forceful. I don’t realize I’m being pushed backwards until I feel my head hit something hard (I'm pretty sure it was a tree or a rock).

Black spots start to dance before me. Then everything goes still.


End file.
